Free-piston engine with compressor cylinder and internal-combustion cylinder



Feb. 3, 1948.

H. STEINER FREE-PISTON ENGINE WITH COMPRESSOR CYLINDER AND INTERNALLCOMBUSTION CYLINDER Filed Aug. 25, 1943 lNvEN-roR AWA/5 TE/NER fm' .MMM/M ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 3, i948 FREE-PISTON ENGINE WITH COMPRESSOR CYLINDER AND INTERNAL-CONIBUSTION CYLINDER Hans Steiner, Winterthur, Switzerland, assignor to Sulzer Freres, Socit Anonyme, Winterthur,

Switzerland 'Application August 25, 1943, serial No. 499,911 In switzerland october 17, 1942 4 Claims. -(Cl. 230-56) The invention relates to a free-piston engine having a compressor cylinder and an internal combustion cylinder, and consists in that a removable part .is provided in the connection between the compressor piston and the power piston, and a certain space for dismantling is provided between the compressor cylinder and the internal combustion cylinder, so that the power piston can be removed from the internal combustion cylinder without dismantling the compressor piston or the compressor cylinder.

A structure as just referred to possesses advantages when it is necessary to overhaul or eiect some improvement to the internal combustion part, as it is not necessary to dismantle the whole piston aggregate, consisting of compressor piston and power piston, or to open or remove the compressor cylinder.

In the accompanying drawing one embodiment of the invention is shown diagrammatically.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the compressor cylinder and the internal combustion cylinder.

Figs. 2-4 show how the power piston is dismantled without dismantling the compressor cylinder.

The internal combustion cylinder I as shown in Fig. 1 is connected to a compressor cylinder 2 at both ends of the internal combustion cylinder l by means of a frame 3. The connection of the power piston 4 to the compressor piston 5 is formed by the intermediate pieces 6 and 1, the intermediate piece 6 serving as a guide for the compressor piston. The removable part 1, which is connected to the power piston 4, is arranged in such a way that, when the power piston 4 is at the outer end cf its stroke, as shown in the drawing, the removable part 1 is in the space 8 provided for dismantling between the compressor cylinder 2 and the removable guide part II at-l tached to an end of the internal combustion cylinder I, so that it can be removed, as illustrated in Fig. 2, after the bolts 9 and IIJ have rbeen disconnected and the power piston 4 has been pushed back into the internal combustion cylinder I.

If the internal combustion cylinder I lor its liner is formed in one piece, the length of the removable part 1, in other words the space 8 provided for dismantling, must be greater than the length ci' the power piston 4, in order that the power piston 4 may be pushed out completely from the internal combustion cylinder I after removal of the part 1. However, in order to be able to keep the length of the machine small, the guide part II of theinternal combustion cylinder I-the part serving to guide the power piston 4 and lying beyond the ports I2-is made removable.

For dismantling the power piston 4, the bolts I3 are loosened (Fig. 3) and the power piston 4' is dismantled (Figs. 3 and 4) together with the removable guide part II of the internal combustion cylinder I. When doing this, the guide part II serves to facilitate'the dismantling of the power piston 4.

The lifting bolts I4, particularly in machines of the vertical type, are designed as setscrews connecting the guide part Il to the power piston 4 and fitting into bores in the power piston. The space 8 for dismantling may be provided entirely by the space occupied by the removable guide part Il if the latter connects the compressor cylinder to the unremovable guide part of the internal combustion cylinder I. In that case, however, it is necessary for the guide part II to be separable into several parts according to its length, in order that the-part 1 can be removed.

I claim:

1. A free-piston engine and compressor apparatus which comprises a combustion cylinder for the engine piston, a compressor cylinder longitudinally spaced from the combustion cylinder, a compressor piston in the compressor cylinder, a removable guide attached to an end of the combustion cylinder in which the power piston travels, a removable intermediate piece attached to the compressor piston which serves as a guide for the compressor piston, and a second removable intermediate piece interconnecting the first-mentioned intermediate piece with the pow- 4er` piston, the power piston being shorter than the aggregate lengths of the second removable intermediate piece and the removable guide, the distance between the cylinders being greater than the length of the power piston so that the y vpower piston may be removed from the engine when the second removable intermediate piece and the removable guide are disconnected from the pistons and power cylinder respectively.

2. A free-piston engine and compressor apparatus according to claim 4 which comprises ay removable guide constructed and arranged as an extension of the power cylinder lying beyond the cylinder ports.

3. A free-piston engine and compressor apparatus according to claim 4 which comprises means for the removalof the `removable guide with the power piston therein.

4. A free piston engine and compressor apparatus with opposed power pistons which comprises a combustion cylinder for the opposed power pistons, a compressor cylinder longitudinally spaced from the combustion cylinder at each end therei of, a compressor piston in each of the compressor cylinders. at least one removable guide attached to one end of the combustion cylinder and adapted to guide the power piston, at least one intermediate piece attached to one of the compressor pistons, and a removable intermediate piece interconnecting the mst-mentioned intermediate piece with the appertaining power piston, said rst-mentioned intermediate piece being longer than the compressor cylinder, and the power piston being shorter than the distance between the combustion cylinder and the mst-mentioned intermediate piece when the compressor piston attached to the said intermediate piece is at th'e outer end of its stroke, said removable guide being adapted to lsupport the power piston and move therewith during its removal from the remainder of the assembly.

HANS STEINER.

.REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent: l

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,732,693 Pescara Oct. 22, 1929 1,704,325 Junkers ...v Mar. 5, 1929 1,230,219 Reali June 19, 19,17 558,041 Clark Apr. 14, 1896 1,835,834 Wolfe Dec. 8, 1931 133,713 McLeish Dec. 10. 1872 1,980,997 Jenkins s Nov. 20, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 280.101 Great Britain Nov. 10. 1927 770,023 France June 18, 1934 

